Folding chair



Dec. 11, 1934. SPANOPOULOS v 1,984,238

FOLDING CHAIR Filed Aug-22, 1953 2 Sheeacs-Sl'leell l De- 11, 1934- sPANoPouLos 1,984,238

FOLDING CHAIR Filed Aug. 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED NSTATES PATENT OFFICE Ippokrates Spanopoulos, St. Louis, Mo.

Application August 22, 1933,?Serial No. 686,292

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the class of chairs and seats and pertains particularly to an irnvproved chair of the folding variety.

The primary object of the present invention A is to provide a novel type of straight-back chair which is designed to be readily folded up into a relatively compact unit sor that ity may be easily transported from one place to another.

Another object of the invention is to provide n an improved folding straight-back chair having novel means for bracing the leg elements which are broken in the folding of the chair.

A still further object of the vinvention is to provide a folding chair in which the parts are so conveniently arranged that they can be easily and quickly disconnected so that the legs may be folded up against the under side of the seat and the back folded down against the top of the seat, and no tools need be used in carrying out this operation.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of a chair constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially upon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the chair on a plane extending from the front to the rear.

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the chair in folded condition.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken upon the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. l

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 1 indicates one of the two back posts of the chair, with which the seat portion 2 is connected. The seat 2 has secured across its rear edge the bar 3 which at each end is formed to provide or has secured thereto the trunnion 4 which is rockably engaged in a socket 5 in the adjacent back post 1.

The back posts 1 extend downward beneath the seat 2 and at their forward edges are formed toprovide the seat supporting shoulders 6., As illustrated in Fig. 5, the rear edge of the seat extends between the posts 1 and rests along a portion of its rear edge uponeach of the shoulders 6. f

At its lower end each of the back posts 1 of the chair is slightly enlarged as indicated at 7 and is formed to provide a convex lower edge 8. Opposing a portion of each convex lower edge of each post 1 is a similarly formed convex edge 9 upon the upper end of a back leg l0 and this edge 9 of each back leg has fixed therein adowel pin 11 which, when the chair is in set-up conditionjengages in a recess 12 in the surface 8. The forward side wall of the recess 12 is cut away as indicated by the numeral 13 in Fig. 3 to permit this dowel to readily slip from the recess when the chair parts are moved relative to one another in folding or unfolding the chair.

In addition to the back panel 14 which extends between the posts 1,k these posts are connected by a round 15 and the back legs are similarly connected by the round 16.

Adjacent its forward edge the seat has secured to its under face, a pair of brackets each of which is indicated by the numeral 17. Each of these brackets 17 has pivotally secured thereto one end of a front leg 18, these legs being connected together by the rounds 19 and 20.

As shown in Fig. 3 the opposed arcuate faces of the legs and back posts 1 abut adjacent their rear corners only so that these faces diverge toward the front of the chair.Y Inserted between the divergent portions of each pair of these surfaces 8 and 9 is a pointed end 21 of a side bar 22 which extends forwardly and has its other end disposed against the inner face of a front leg 18 and pivotally held in such position by an end of the round 20 which passes therethrough and engages in the adjacent leg.

The converging ends of the back post, rear leg and side brace bar at each side of the chair are pivotally connected by the triangular plates 23 which are disposed against the inner and outer faces of these elements and connected thereto by the rivets 24. By this arrangement the abutting ends of the back posts and rear legs are permitted to oscillate relative to one another for engagement in setting up the chair and disengagement in folding the same.

As will be seen from the drawings, when the chair is set up the pointed end of each bar 22 At the center of the seat 2 and adjacent the rear thereof there is secured to the under face, a bracket 25 with which is pivotally engaged one end of a brace arm 26. The other end of this brace arm has a notch 27 cut in its lower edge, which receives the reduced central portion of the upper round 20, when the chair is set up.

The disposition of the members of the chair when the saine is set up for use, are clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. When the chair is folded the free forward end of the brace arm 26 is rst lifted for disconnection from the round 20 and the top of the back of the chair is pulled forwardly until it assumes a position parallel with the seat 2, as illustrated in Fig. 4. This tends to swing the seat forward and cause it to oscillate about the centers of the trunnions 4. The second step in the folding of the chair is then to swing the front legs rearwardly to to the position in which they are shown in Fig. 4. The back legs 10 may then be swung forward upon the pivot pins 24 which join them with ther brackets 23, thus completely separating the enlarged opposed ends of the back posts and rear legs, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4.

This is the third and last operation in the folding of the chair and as will be seen from Fig. 4, the chair is in a compact form so that it may be readily carried about.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, is:

A folding chair, comprising a seat, a back having a pair of upright side posts, the lower ends of which extend beneath the seat, the rear edge of said seat being disposed between said posts, means pivotally connecting the seat to the posts in a plane above the top of the seat, a round connecting the posts beneath the seat and having the bottom face thereof in close proximity with the round when the chair is set up for use, a pair of rear legs each having a portion of its upper end abutting the lower end of a post, a pair of front legs pivotally attached at their upper ends to the underside of the seat at the front of the latter, a round connecting the front legs substantially in the plane of the contacting ends of the upper ends of the rear legs and said posts, said last round having a portion midway of its ends of reduced diameter and having portions immediately adjacent each front leg of reduced diameter, a horizontal arm` at each side of the chair having the adjacent reduced end portion of the front round passing therethrough at one end and having its other end abutting the contacting ends of the adjacent leg and post, a triangular plate disposed adjacent the outer faces of. the contacting ends of the posts, rear legs and horizontal arms and having pivotal connections with each, and a brace arm disposed centrally beneath the seat and pivotally connected `tothe undersurface thereof at the rear of thel same and having its forward end detachably connected withY the reduced central part of the front round.

IPPOKRATES SPANOPOULOS. 

